Social Work Assistant Team Manager (Adults)

What will you be doing?

Perhaps you are currently working in an adult safeguarding role, supporting a team manager and looking for your next step. Or, you might be an experienced manager seeking a new challenge—one that not only offers professional growth but also prioritises your well-being.

Although SWE (Social Work England) registration is not a requirement, you should have extensive experience and a proven ability to assist with complex legal cases. You should also be well-versed in legislation, able to provide supporting documents for cases taken to court, and knowledgeable about available funding streams.

As a champion of social work, you’ll lead by example, using your skills to encourage a culture of innovation, reflection and learning within the service, using practice evaluations and learning reviews to inform this work.

The experience you’ll bring with you will enable you to support others from the start of their social work journey; from student to ASYE, and then to qualified, competent and confident Social Workers.

You will be an approachable, ‘can do’ person who understands what good looks like and have high ambitions for the workforce and the organisation.

As a proactive person, you’ll be able to respond to multiple requests and demands, getting to know our fabulous staff group will be imperative and supporting them as they deliver advice and guidance to citizens of West Northants. The team and your peers are all very supportive and in West Northants we are all working towards the same goal of enabling competent and confident staff to deliver great care.

About you

You will bring proven experience of leadership, practice development and consistent achievement in a safeguarding/social work environment, an understanding of working across health and social care and above all a commitment to people who use, work in and rely on social work services. You’ll need exceptional interpersonal skills, a passion for quality and inclusion and the ability to build, manage and develop effective working relationships with people and partners. 

Hours:  Our standard hours are 9 to 5 pm, Monday - Fridays. 

You’ll need

• Higher post qualifying training in relevant discipline or management qualification
• Management experience over a range of professional roles with significant experience of managing functions in a number of specialisms e.g. Older People, Mental Health, Learning Disability, Adult Safeguarding
• You will be required to drive and have transport.

Please see the attached Job spec for further information. 

We may be able to support Sponsorship and/or relocation package, if you have Social Work England in place. 

If you would like to discuss this role further than please contact gina.braithwaite@westnorthants.gov.uk 

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate, at our cost.

It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Children and Adults Barred List check. West Northamptonshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Our benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

• Subscription fully paid - Community care inform adults.
• Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days annual leave per year, 29 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
• Cycle to Work scheme. 
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Car Lease scheme via Tusker.
• Payment of professional subscription / membership - If your job description requires that you are registered with or are a member of a professional body, WNC will pay for your professional subscription or membership fees.
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Commsave- Free membership to Commsave Credit Union who provide a variety of savings accounts, loans, a monthly lottery draw and more!
• Ongoing training and development opportunities.
• A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
• Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
• Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

About us

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services. 

Hear more from our Chief Executive, Anna Earnshaw, about what it's like to work at West Northants Council https://youtu.be/lV0EfeUF4aU  

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential.  We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.